Religious authorities from Muslim and Christian institutions across the Middle East on Monday (February 26th) committed to work together to rebuild and protect their communities from the effects of violent extremism.
The 23 leaders, meeting under the auspices of the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), launched the first inter-religious platform to advocate for the rights and inclusion of all communities in the Arab world and combat radical ideologies.
"Religion, especially in the Arab world, is a powerful motivating force, and a source of shared identity for millions of people," KAICIID secretary general Faisal Bin Muaammar said.
"For too long, we have allowed religion to be hijacked and used as justification for causing pain and suffering," he said. "With the launch of this platform, the leaders of religious communities say 'enough' to this manipulation and misuse."
"Through this platform, we will set a visible, tangible example of inter-religious co-operation. People need to see that religious communities, working together, are much stronger than any extremists, and that co-operation brings concrete benefits to everyone," he added.
The members of the platform will work to promote social cohesion and common citizenship in their communities, he said.
Planned activities include training for clerics on how to empower young people to resist violent extremism, and the development of religious education curricula to promote respect for all religions.
The platform also will focus on constructively engaging with all forms of media in the region to deepen respect for diversity and a culture of dialogue, as well as advocating for policies and laws that uphold social cohesion.
